Walking in Antarctica
Via anti-mega we learn that there’s been a competition to design the next Halley Antarctic research station - and one of the finalists brings Archigram’s Walking City a few steps closer to reality.
According to Chris, “One of the big problems with the base, it seems, is that it moves 1km a year due to ice flows, edging closer and closer to the sea, wit a danger of the ice cracking and Halley floating off on an iceberg. So, all designs are on stilts. Two are draggable, but one of them walks!”
“Hopkins Architects/Expedition Engineering/Atelier Ten/Davis & Langdon have designed two aerodynamic, elevated ‘walking’ buildings that minimise effort of raising, snow-management and relocation. External walls, surrounded with a ‘puffer jacket’ of structural fabric pillows, streamline the building and provide additional insulation. The team believe the quality of architecture is crucial to the wellbeing, morale and productivity of science and support staff living and working at Halley.”
The design competition winner will be announced next Tuesday, but for now you can check out images and movies for all three finalists.